Bottle at Cantillon, 30th May 24. Pours a ruby red. Aroma is funky, berries, barnyard. Taste is tart fruits, funk, berries, cherry, dry, damsons, unripe plums. Lovely

One of Cantillon’s many grape lambic variants, using Ciliegiolo grapes from Tuscany – an old ‘cépage’ that gave rise to the more familiar Sangiovese variety. Two year old bottle, big thanks Bart A. for sharing! Thick and moussey, pale fuchsia-pink, frothy head, slowly diminishing over an initially clear, deep ruby red-glowing robe with disparate yet lively sparkling, turning misty but still beautifully ruby with sediment. Aroma of indeed very pronounced ‘red’ grapes and young red wine (Sangiovese-like for sure), freshly cut red apple, wood, ripe redcurrant, sour cherry, dry leather, cassis, lemon, minerals, background hints of sweat, rhubarb, cherry tomato, dry sherry and blood orange. Crisp, very tart-fruity onset, lemony but full of red fruit as well of course – bursting ripe red grapes, with associations of redcurrant and red apple as well; sour and tannic from the start though not unpleasantly astringent, due to the grape skins I assume, which in spite of their tannic character also add fruitiness as such. Slender bready core under lots of ongoing tart red fruitiness – vinous in a lean, smooth way, with strong minerality underneath as well as lemony-lactic acidity and drying woodiness, the latter effect no doubt enhanced by the grape seeds and skins. Hints of nectarine, blood orange and sour cherry linger in the finish; the tannic and tart character remains pronounced, but is beautifully balanced by juicy, ripe red berry-like and eventually vinous fruitiness. Very bright and focused, clean and measured, in all – ‘summery’ and mediterranean like a light-bodied, dry Sangiovese wine, a bit as expected; lambic features as such remain relatively mild, however, I was expecting the bacteria and the Brettanomyces to have become more outspoken in two years…

750mL bottle, 2022 cork, drunk May 3, 2024, Ma Che Siete. Clear, bright, blood red with magenta. Small, pinkish head quickly to edges. Bright fruit, low to moderate acidity. Soft mineral and funky in the background. Juicy with mild Brett and mild lactic character. Very clean and snappy, polished. Oh baby. Juicy, zippy, perfectly carbonated with frizzante, tight bubbles carbonation spreading juicy, low acid grape across the palate. Gentle malt sweetness, light oak dryness and plentiful Brett with low lactic, no acetic. Wonderful, juicy, gently sweet fruit and lower funk. Phenomenally drinkable.

Bottle shared by O, many thanks! Deep ruby with pinkish head. Loads of tart cherries, rounded red grapes, vinous oak, quite tannic. Some funk. Juicy, tannic, berry forward and grape-intense at the same time. Stellar!

Shared at Palace Hall, Malmö March 2024 tasting (23/03/2024) - medium tart fruity with fruity cherry berry accents, cherry skin, wooden notes, nice acidity and smooth mouthfeel, lingering cherry infused close. Gorgeous.

Sour, fruity, a bit sweet. Lots of red grapes, a bit vinous, smooth, delicious.

750mL bottle, pours a deep dark red with a small white head. Aroma brings out a wonderful deep red grape skins, moderate funk, and intense tannins. Flavour is wonderfully intense, with tons of red grape tannins, vinous oak barrels, and moderate funk. Complex and funky, with very low acidity. Excellent.

750ml shared with Ryan, Phill, and Mario (The Garden brewer, Croatia). Appearance: dark purple/copper with a rose head. Aroma: amazing mix grapes, cherries (yes, I know that there are no cherries, but the grapes are special), and funk. Taste: along the same lines, nice deep cherries with nice balance. It's quite mellow, so it's more on the wine side. Overall: very nice and complex, with a nice integration.